NUM considering new strike at Northam Platinum
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is not ruling out fresh strike action at Northam Platinum's Zondereinde mine, which was the scene of prolonged 11-week industrial action earlier this year.
NUM general secretary Frans Baleni told Mining Weekly Online at a media briefing on Saturday that the union objected strongly to the appointment of former Impala Platinum executive Paul Dunne as the new CEO of Northam Platinum.
Baleni gave notice of NUM's intention to mobilise against the appointment and said, in response to journalists questions, that the union was not ruling out renewed strike action.
"He's going to be baptised by fire," the general secretary said.
Northam on Friday blamed the recent 79-day strike for its first operating loss since 1998 and said that it had cost the company R750-million in unearned revenue.
In an official media release, NUM said that its national executive committee was concerned that Dunne had triggered a "tumultuous tide of turmoil" during his tenure at Impala Platinum and accused him of a "divide and rule" approach.
ILLEGAL MINING
In a specially prepared presentation, NUM expressed grave concern about the rampant illegal mining and said it was a serious threat to the wellbeing of the South African economy.
Balena flashed a series of pictures on to a large screen, which graphically illustrated the harrowing experiences of the illegal miners, who were often intimidated into performing extremely dangerous mining tasks.
He said in its presentation to the Minerals Ministry and the police, the union had urged the government to take action against the organised crime syndicates that were driving the scourge.
Those drawn into illegal mining were prevented from ever leaving it and anyone deemed to have double-crossed the organisers faced death.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
ISO-certified Condra manufactures overhead cranes, portal cranes, cantilever cranes and crane components: hoists, drives, end-carriages, brakes and...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Columbus Stainless, based in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, is Africa’s only producer of stainless steel flat products. In addition, Columbus is the only...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
